The Old Wraxall Mill - Nailsea and District Local History Society
The Old Wraxall Mill - Nailsea and District Local History Society
The Old Wraxall Mill - Nailsea and District Local History Society
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.<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>THE OLD WRAXALL MILLPENNANT REPRINTS N O 12WRAXALLBY PHYLLIS HORMAN AND WILFRED REW
.<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>Previously published February 2003 by <strong>Nailsea</strong> & <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong><strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>This ebook version, © Phyllis Horman, Wilfred Rew <strong>and</strong><strong>Nailsea</strong> & <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, PO Box 1089, <strong>Nailsea</strong>BS48 2YP, has been made available in June 2005, so that anindividual may download <strong>and</strong> read this document, for privateresearch purposes only. It must not be reproduced or passedto a third party without written permission of the copyrightholders.
.<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>THE OLD WRAXALL MILLQuite a few years ago Wilfred <strong>and</strong> I spent a day atTrowbridge Record Office looking through the "CalleyPapers". Among these was an Indenture dated 10thSeptember 1709, between John Codrington (of <strong>Wraxall</strong>Lodge later Court) <strong>and</strong> Joseph Emery, which contained a leaseof premises."Granted by late wife Elizabeth (Codrington) before herinter-marriage, by her then name of Elizabeth Gorges of<strong>Wraxall</strong>, unto Thomas Emery, his executors, administrators<strong>and</strong> aforesigns for the term of fourscore <strong>and</strong> nineteen years,determinable on the several draughts of the said ThomasEmery <strong>and</strong> Mary his wife <strong>and</strong> Jane Emery his daughter, whoare still living. As in consideration of the rents, heriots,covenants for building <strong>and</strong> other reservations <strong>and</strong> agreementsherein after received <strong>and</strong> contained on the part of the saidJoseph Emery, his executors <strong>and</strong> administrators to be paid,observed <strong>and</strong> performed <strong>and</strong> for diverse <strong>and</strong> otherconsiderations, the said John Codrington---- to Joseph Emeryall that water Grist <strong>Mill</strong> commonly called or known by the3
<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>.name of Wraxhall's <strong>Mill</strong>, situate <strong>and</strong> lying <strong>and</strong> being in theparish of <strong>Wraxall</strong> aforesaid, <strong>and</strong> also the dwelling housethereunto, now or lately belonging on the (loft?) or platewhere the same lately stood. <strong>The</strong> same dwelling house havingbeen lately burnt down <strong>and</strong> consumed by accidental fire. Andall ways paths, passages, water courses, ponds, ffloud gates,(stanks?), banks, commons <strong>and</strong> all other appurtenances to thesaid <strong>Mill</strong> <strong>and</strong> premises belonging --- For fourscore <strong>and</strong>nineteen years to the aforesaid Joseph Emery, Elizabeth hiswife <strong>and</strong> Thomas their son now aged about two years, ----yearly <strong>and</strong> every year the sum of eight shillings of lawfulmoney of Great Britain, on the twenty ninth day of September<strong>and</strong> twenty fifth of March in every years by equal portions.And also by paying to John Codrington, his heirs etc <strong>and</strong>upon the decease of them Joseph Emery, Elizabeth <strong>and</strong> sonThomas, the sum of sixteen shillings like money, for <strong>and</strong> inthe name of an herriott. If they shall be behind with either orboth by the space of twenty one days, they shall become one<strong>and</strong> ought to be paid as aforesaid, being lawfully dem<strong>and</strong>ed,<strong>and</strong> no other distress to be had or taken on the premises,sufficient for the levying thereof. <strong>The</strong>n <strong>and</strong> in such case itshall <strong>and</strong> may be lawful for the said John Codrington ---- tore-enter the same <strong>and</strong> re-possess to his former estate.Anything herein contained to the contrary thereof, inanywise, not withst<strong>and</strong>ing. Joseph Emery doth covenant,promise <strong>and</strong> grant to John Codrington to pay from time totime the rents etc also to rebuild the said late dwelling house,or erect <strong>and</strong> build a new dwelling house in the room <strong>and</strong>stead thereof, with such outhousings <strong>and</strong> conveniences as heshall think proper. And complete in a firm <strong>and</strong> substantial <strong>and</strong>workmanlike manner <strong>and</strong> roof with tile <strong>and</strong> not with thatch,straw or helms, <strong>and</strong> keep all buildings tiled <strong>and</strong> not suffer tobe thatched <strong>and</strong> keep all buildings, banks etc. in good <strong>and</strong>sufficient repair".This intrigued us, so we decided to try to find where this millhad been. We studied old maps <strong>and</strong> found that the marked4
<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>.river did not correspond with the present day one. We walkedthe field on the east side of <strong>Wraxall</strong> House because weremembered from our childhood that there were two smallstone bridges in the middle of a field, seemingly with no realpurpose. In fact the bridges are over an old dried out riverbed. We traced this back to the present river, found wherethe old one had been blocked <strong>and</strong> a new bed created. This israised several feet above the original floor of the field to thesouth. Presumably, when the mill was built at the side of<strong>Wraxall</strong> House, this new raised bed gave enough power in theflow of the water for the overshot wheel which powered themill.<strong>The</strong>re is of course the possibility that the new mill cottagewas built on the site of the one that was burnt prior to thelease of 1709, <strong>and</strong> the mill buildings moved to this site whichwould account for the river diversion.Further back in the river bank is a flood hatch <strong>and</strong> some ofthe water still runs into a channel which flows to theboundary of <strong>Wraxall</strong> House <strong>and</strong> continues through. At a timewhen the house was unoccupied but was being prepared foruse as a residential school for mentally h<strong>and</strong>icapped youngpeople, Wilfred <strong>and</strong> I were given permission to go to thebottom of the grounds where the river runs. Here we foundtwo pieces of machinery that had controlled the sluice for thewater flow. <strong>The</strong>re is an ornamental lake nearby which couldhave been a mill pond, also a bridge over the end of the lake<strong>and</strong> where the leat begins. This bridge leads from the Housegrounds to a field <strong>and</strong> also to various out-buildings. Fromthese buildings there was a large, high wooden door leadingonto the main road. <strong>The</strong> door has been replaced by a smallerone <strong>and</strong> a metal gate. This older mill would almost certainlyhave had an undershot wheel. Near the House are at leasttwo old mill stones but from which mill they came from, wedo not know.5
.We made a second visit to the site taking Margaret Thomaswith us. She <strong>and</strong> Wilfred measured the leat, took photos ofthe remains of the controls <strong>and</strong> estimated the size of thewheel by what seemed to be a bearing in the bank, using thisas the approximate centre of the wheel <strong>and</strong> measuring to thebed of the leat.<strong>Nailsea</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>Society</strong>With reference to the maps that we had studied. It seems thatDay <strong>and</strong> Masters shows the old river bed. Greenwood 1822shows the new bed, <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Wraxall</strong> Tithe 1837 shows both.It could be presumed by this that the new mill may have beenbuilt somewhere between, say, 1780 <strong>and</strong> 1820. We havewondered if the reason for the flood hatch being built intothe river bank was to allow both mills to run in conjunctionfor a while or only to provide water for the lake once the oldmill had ceased to be worked. <strong>The</strong>re is a photo by WilliamRavenhill Stock of the lake which would date from the mid1800's.As a matter of interest, the <strong>Wraxall</strong> Churchwardens Accountsmention occasions when the bridge by the mill was repaired,one date being 1726,<strong>and</strong> in 1764 "Paid Godwin Stanburymaking two bridges below the <strong>Mill</strong> £4-11s-2d" <strong>The</strong>re wasalso a <strong>Mill</strong> Lane mentioned when Chas Bull was paid in 1727for mending fallen banks by order of Colonel Codrington.Mr Bodman refers to some of the millers. <strong>The</strong> Emery familydefinitely ran the older mill <strong>and</strong> probably William Curtis did aswell. William Vowles <strong>and</strong> John Day would have been at thenew mill. Two more millers can be named. According to the<strong>Wraxall</strong> parish registers, in April 1656 John Wallis of <strong>Wraxall</strong>,miller married Ann Jones, <strong>and</strong> in March 1693 "old King Cableof the mill" was buried. Incidentally it was Mrs Griffin <strong>and</strong> notMrs Griffiths who sold sweets <strong>and</strong> tobacco from the millcottage.Previously published in Pennant No 86